Alumni Spotlight: Miranda Asebedo

“I grew up in rural Kansas, and as a teen reader, I was always disappointed that books were rarely set in a place that was recognizable to me”: This week, we feature an online interview with Miranda Asebedo (BA ’07, MA ’09), who has just published her first novel, The Deepest Roots, with HarperTeen.

Cottonwood Hollow, Kansas, is a strange place. For the past century, every girl has been born with a special talent, like the ability to Fix any object, Heal any wound, or Find what is missing.

Best friends Rome, Lux, and Mercy all have similar talents, but to them, their abilities often feel like a curse. Rome may be able to Fix anything she touches, but that won’t help her mom pay rent or make it any easier to confide in Lux and Mercy about what’s going on at home. And Rome isn’t the only one. Lux has been hiding bigger, more dangerous secrets.

As Rome struggles to keep her friendships close, she discovers the truth about life in Cottonwood Hollow — that friends are stronger than curses, that trust is worth the risk, and sometimes, what you’ve been looking for has been under your feet the whole time.

Miranda’s goal, as she explains, is to combine the genres she loves into one work of art: “I’m a huge fantasy fan, but I wanted this story to be contemporary, and to reflect the kind of modern problems that girls and women face in places like rural Kansas. So to give a very ‘ordinary’ kind of world this sheen of magic was so much fun.”

Visit the Literary Rambles web site for the full interview with Miranda — and follow Miranda at @MirandaWriteNow for information about upcoming author appearances, additional interviews, and give-aways of The Deepest Roots. If you’ll be on campus on Friday October 19, you can also catch Miranda in person at our 2018 Alumni Connections career panel, 3:30-4:30pm, in Leadership Studies 123.

We’re always thrilled when our alumni find success by sharing their work with the world. Congratulations to Miranda — and to all of our published alumni authors!